Australian Dalmatian
by RyanBrony765
Summary: Set during the fall of 1988, Ryan and his friends travel to Australia and meets some interesting friends during their 2 week stay. Some are famous and some are not so famous, but this will be an adventure Ryan would never forget. Rated T for cursing. Oliver and Company belong to (C) Disney. The other characters belong to me.
1. Rita X Ryan

**Australian Dalmatian  
an Oliver and Company fanfic, starring Dodger, Oliver, Francis, Tito, Einstein, Rita, Georgette, Jenny and many others.  
Note: This takes place during the Aus Steam '88, aka a month after R&C. **

Chapter 1: Rita X Ryan

Happiness.

That's what both a certain Saluki and a certain Dalmatian feel as they were snuggling in a big bedroom at the Foxworths'.

Just a few weeks ago, Ryan the Dalmatian dog had graduated from the Locomotive Preservation Society and was now a certified railroad dog, traveling across the United States on preserved locomotives like his father, Shaun, did when he was a railroad dog. His friends down in his old neighborhood are doing very well, along with his friends down at the LPS museum in Brooklyn, New York. Some new engines kept on coming to the museum, meaning there were new friends Ryan makes, both old and new.

But there was more goodies for the autistic dog.

He and Rita were now officially mates and were probably the happiest couple anybody could imagine. For the past 2 months, the 2 dogs went out on dates to the Junkyard where the Old #90 is still rusting away, the Brooklyn Bridge where Rita told Ryan all about Sykes and the Dobermans, Central Park, the LPS's museum in Brooklyn and Time Square where they shared a romantic kiss infront of everyone. Things were starting to look nice and lovely for them.

"...mmmmm" Ryan purred happily as he snuggled against Rita's back.

Rita looked a little worried as she stood her head up and looked at her boyfriend. "Ryan do you forgive me about yelling at you?" she asked. During the first few days of Ryan staying at Fagin's boat, she and the autistic dog had a rough patch if many of you recall. So rough in fact, the Saluki yelled at the Dalmatian, causing him to have a serious meltdown. Rita still felt guilty of yelling at a sensitive dog like Ryan even after he said he forgives her for about 20 times now.

"of course Rita" Ryan chuckled, "this is like the 21st time you asked me that. don't tell me I got you my Autism." He laughed when Rita had a surprised look on her face, "nah I'm kidding. I don't think it's possible to spread Autism."

Rita rolled her eyes smiling. "you wish it was you sneak, then we could be an autistic couple" she said, before breaking into a flirtatious voice, "I also have a present for you!"

The Dalmatian's eyes and ears lit up with excitement. Ryan loved presents, especially ones from Rita. The presents he got from her included being adopted by Jenny, flowers, a bright blue blanket with Mickey Mouse on it that he calls "blankey", a box of chocolate and a night sleeping with her at the boat.

"close your eyes, count to 5, and don't open them until I say 'alright'!" said the Saluki in a cute sing-song voice.

Ryan closed his eyes tightly and began to count to 5 slowly. As he did so, Rita cautiously pulled out a book from a nearby bookshelf. Carefully, she placed the book on her boyfriend's paws just as he was finished counting to "4.5 1/2".

"alright" the Saluki giggled.

The Dalmatian opened his eyes and looked at the book with a big smile on his face. The cover of the book showed a picture of the Flying Scotsman, a 4-6-2 A3 from Great Britain, with a red cowcatcher, headlight, bell and whistle on the side, rolling down the mainline with a train of brown and cream coaches, and cars chasing after it. The title of the book, "Flying Scotsman's USA Tour" was written in gold letters with "USA" written in red, white and blue letters.

Ryan suddenly looked confused. "Rita darling" he said, "I already have this book remember?"

"I know" Rita nodded as she snuggled her head against Ryan's side, "I was hoping you could teach me a history lesson or something."

Sometimes, depending on if he's in the mood or if Rita is in the mood, Ryan would tell Rita facts about trains and certain locos from his books he got from friends, his new owners and some individuals who knew Ryan's father Sean. This was something to do for him not only to get away from boredom, but to also share his love of trains to his Saluki girlfriend and to teach some history about how the railroads, or railways depending on which one you prefer to call it, helped make America and the world it is today.

With a smile as big as his own face, Ryan kindly nodded and opened up the book with his nose. "ok then my lovely sweetheart" he began, "have you ever knew that engines can be famous too?"

"no I haven't" Rita shook her head with interest.

"well you see my dear sweetheart, this engine called 'Flying Scotsman' is 'The Most Famous Steam Locomotive in the World'!"

"no!" said Rita surprisingly.

* * *

You see folks who are new with trains or haven't heard of Flying Scotsman before, this steam locomotive is not just an ordinary one. No in fact, it is a famous one! Built at Doncaster Works in 1923 for the London and North Eastern in the United Kingdom for mainline passenger trains, the Flying Scotsman was named after the non-stop passenger train that ran from London to Edinburgh. Designed by the famous Sir Nigel Gresley, the 4-6-2 Pacific had quite a history. In November of 1934, #4472, Flying Scotsman's number, broke the land speed record of 100 MPH and earned a place in the land speed record for railed vehicles, which was later broken by the Mallard, another LNER engine, but that's another story.

During World War ll, Flying Scotsman was painted black and was given 2 new numbers, 502 and 103. The Flying Scotsman remained in that livery until 1948, when British Railways was formed and the A3 was painted dark green with a new number "60103". The Flying Scotsman was announced to be scrapped by British Railways in 1962 and made a final run on January 14th, 1963. However, as if there is a God, a man by the name of Alan Pegler stepped in and bought the locomotive for 70,000 British pounds, which is 101,542 in US Dollars. He restored the engine to its LNER look and used #4472 on rail tours across BR rails.

In the late 1960s and early 70s, Flying Scotsman paid a visit to America to support British exports. To comply with American railroad regulations, #4472 was fitted with a cowcatcher, headlight, bell, whistle, air brakes and so forth, and began touring the USA starting in Boston, Massachusetts. Flying Scotsman even made a visit to the Southern Railway, making a couple of trips on the SRR with several steamers in their steam program including 2-8-2 #4501. Unfortunately, Alan ran out of money to run the Flying Scotsman and was broke. If it hadn't been for William McAlphine, the engine would've been sold for scrap. In 1973, the engine went home to the UK, via the Panama Canal, and William paid for the locomotive's restoration at Derby Works. By then, the engine was ready for work and began hauling holiday excursions. Since then the locomotive had attracted a lot of attention and was even stared in "The Railway Series".

* * *

After an hour of reading, Ryan finished his book. He looked over at his girlfriend and gave her a loving kiss on the cheek. Out of all the friends he knew, Rita was probably the only dog who would ever enjoy his love of trains, besides his ex girlfriend Tiffany who had been dead for about a week and a half. Even though the Saluki wouldn't understand how trains work unless Ryan tells her how, at least she listens to him 100% unlike some of his friends.

As the 2 of them snuggled against each other, Winston walked in smiling brightly. He had just helped finish packing Jenny's bags and had helped Fagin wash the dogs up. "come along you 2" he said to Rita and Ryan, "we're going for a little ride!"

Ryan barked and followed Winston out the front door, followed by Rita. There had been a lot more stuff going on than usual recently, besides Ryan getting adopted. Georgette has been accepted to go to a dog show in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia and everyone is invited to go. Ryan didn't want to go though, cause there wasn't any trains there from what he knows. But he had no choice.

When he got down to the limo where the rest of the Foxworths were waiting, he could see Dodger, Tito, Francis, Einstein, Oliver and Georgette all shiny and clean as they waited in the back of the limo. They were smiling happily as Fagin's dogs were chatting with their friend Oliver. He wasn't sure why the gang was invited to come with them to the land down under, but as long as Rita was with him he didn't mind at all.

"Hey man how's life at Jenny's place?" Tito asked Ryan as soon as he sat down.

"not bad" Ryan replied, "it reminds me of my old home when Little Jack was alive and well. I got my own room which is still kinda a mess, some of my old master's stuff and a very beautiful sweetheart. what else could make me happy?"

Rita blushed and shrugged cutely. "I don't know. a 2 week vacation in Australia?"

"well..." Ryan thought, "I'm probably going to be homesick until we get back."

"eh, if you can survive living out on the streets, then I'm sure you'll be fine in Australia" Dodger grinned.

"you sure?" Ryan asked his friend.

"absotively posilutely!" nodded Dodger in reply.

The Dalmatian wasn't sure, but he doubt he was gonna have fun in Australia. As much as he loves traveling, he doesn't like going places that doesn't have things he enjoys. Whenever his old master was going to a place that he probably wouldn't enjoy, Ryan would normally stay at Tiffany's place. But as said before he didn't have a choice and Rita was going to Australia too.

As soon as everyone and everything was packed inside the limo, Winston drove the limo all the way to John F Kennedy airport where their flight to Australia was waiting. During the ride to the airport, Ryan decided to take a nice long nap with Rita by his side. As the two of them slept together, Ryan began to wonder what sort of adventures would await for him and his friends in the land down under, unaware of a big surprise waiting for him in Melbourne.

 **Oliver and Company belong to (C) Disney.  
Ryan, Tiffany and the Locomotive Preservation Society belongs to me.**


	2. Welcome to the Land Down Under

**Australian Dalmatian  
an Oliver and Company fanfic, starring Dodger, Oliver, Francis, Tito, Einstein, Rita, Georgette, Jenny and many others.  
**

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Land Down Under

Ryan woke up to the sound of a loud jet noise purring after several hours of sleeping. He was in a small dog cage, a little cramped but he was okay. He saw the other dogs in cages too, but they have been awake after the long trip through the night sky. They were in a plane, with lots and lots of bags and suitcases stacked all around them. Ryan was a little scared.

"hello?" he muttered.

Rita yawned in her cage next to Ryan. "I'm here Ryan" she said calmly, "we're all here."

Ryan gave a sigh of relief. "how long had I've slept?"

"for about 4 hours honey, everyone else is asleep" Rita replied, yawning.

"4 hours?!" whispered the Dalmatian, "Jesus! and we're still up in the air?"

Rita nodded. "yeah. it's a 24 hour flight Ryan, of course we're still in the air. now try and go back to sleep."

"I can't Rita, I'm a little worried about what might happen in Australia" sighed the Dalmatian. "we're far away from home and I actually never been this far from New York, ever! as much as I love traveling like my father use to do, I... I just don't know if it'll be worth it."

Rita looked into Ryan's sad eyes. She understood that Ryan's autism does make him worry a lot which is one of the downsides of his autism. Ryan can't help it sometimes, but he does know how to handle his worrying. Sometimes he would go out for a couple of walks around the city with Rita, talk it out, squeeze a stress ball or listen to some calm music.

"would a goodnight song make you feel better?" she asked with a gentle smile.

Ryan nodded, forming a small smile on his face.

Rita quietly cleared her throat and began to sing a lovely goodnight song. It sounded beautiful and was like music to the sleepy Dalmatian's ears. As she sang her song, Ryan slowly began to close his eyes softly, before drifting off to a nice, warm, deep sleep. The beautiful Saluki giggled quietly upon seeing her sleeping boyfriend, snoring quietly. "goodnight my spotted prince" she whispered before drifting off into a deep sleep too.

By the time they reached Melbourne, it was dusk the next day. There were huge crowds of people walking all over the place, carrying their luggage around and headed off to either their planes or to catch a bus. Ryan and the others were wide awake by then, but were still kept in their cages. As Winston, Jenny and the Foxworths were taking the dogs and Oliver towards some of the buses park out front, Ryan thought he saw a familiar man with short brown hair and wearing a business suit. The Dalmatian gasped as he recognized the man's face.

"Rita, Rita!" Ryan barked in excitement, looking at his girlfriend's cage.

"what's wrong honey?" asked Rita.

"that's him!" Ryan pointed at the man.

"who?"

"William McAlpine! the same guy who saved Flying Scotsman from scrap in America, the businessman, the head honcho! he was the guy who went all the way out to the United States in 1973 to save 4472 from being turned into a soap can!"

"... you ate that fish on the plane didn't you?" Rita asked his boyfriend.

Ryan shook his head, "Rita I'm serious! I just saw him wall right past us!"

Rita chuckled lightly. "alright just calm down. what do you think he's doing here?"

"I don't know" replied the Dalmatian, "but I'm starting to get the feeling something amazing is going to happen."

After a long ride to the hotel the Foxworths were staying for their whole trip to Australia, Ryan and his friends were finally let out of their cages in Jenny's room. The dogs stretched their front and back legs, moaning and groaning. They were glad to be out of their cages, especially Ryan. Being kept in a cage reminds him of that daring rescue from the Humane Society Rita and Dodger broke him out of.

"there you go you guys" Jenny said, scratching Einstein's head. "welcome to the land down under."

The dogs and Oliver soon got themselves comfortable in their new surroundings. The room itself was pretty big. It had a queen size bed, a large closet, a tv set, some large dog beds just for some of the dogs, a soft rug, dog and cat bowls and many other luxurious furniture. There was even a grand view of the city since they were on the middle floor of the tall hotel.

Ryan started looking out the window, hoping to find a train station or some trains nearby. But to his dismay, there wasn't any in sight. "darn" he sighed. Whenever he was in a city or in a town, he would look around outside the window to see if there was any trains nearby that would entertain him. Trains was probably the only entertainment he would rather see, besides Rita dancing and flirting with him. "I'm not that lucky these days."

"I'm sorry hun" Rita said smoothly to Ryan. She snuggled up against her lover's side as she looked out the window with him. "maybe it's just hiding from you and you just don't know it."

Ryan shrugged at the thought. "yeah you maybe right Rita honey. but I hope you're right."

The two of them shared a romantic kiss before looking back out at the window. Suddenly, a mist rolled in outside, followed by the sound of a whistle. Ryan and Rita jumped back in surprised as the ghostly spirit of Sean, Ryan's father, slowly appeared through the mist. "father?" Ryan said in surprise. It had been years since Ryan last saw his father and this was his first time seeing him since he was a few days old. "what are you doing here?!"

"oh, just stopping by to say 'hello' to you and your sweetheart" Sean smiled and looked at Rita. "how's my boy doing? staying out of trouble?"

"yes he is, Ryan's father" Rita nodded. As much as she knows Sean would never hurt her, the thought of a ghostly spirit haunting her forever hit her when both she and Ryan started dating, and vowed to keep him out of harms way or else Sean would most likely haunt her until she dies. So she would do her very best to keep her lover out of trouble, such as helping him learn how to car surf with Dodger, steal stuff that looks too heavy for Ryan to carry, teaching him some new and common sense stuff to him, and all sorts of stuff.

"please Rita" smiled the ghostly Dalmatian, "call me Sean, and that's good. I'm just seeing how things are going on with you two, especially Rita."

Ryan looked at his girlfriend who was blushing from head to toe. "why her the most dad?"

Sean didn't say nothing. He just winked at Rita. "oh nothing special... yet, son. taa taa." and with a loud howl/whistle, Sean slowly gets carried away by the wind and was gone.

The Dalmatian looked at Rita again who was still blushing. She didn't say a word nor made a sound as she walked over towards the dog bowls, waiting for dinner. Ryan was a little concerned. Why would his father be checking on Rita the most? Was she planning on breaking up with him, or was there something wrong with her? Ryan wasn't sure. But he had more things to be concerned about, for he was suppose to go with Georgette to the dog show tomorrow. Although he wasn't scheduled to be a part of the show, he was invited to the lunch-in with the other dogs that were invited to the dog show. This would be the day he made an embarrassment out of himself.

 **Author's note: yeah I know this chapter might not be detailed like I really hope it would be, but I'll think of improving it sometime in the future just to make it more enjoyable to you guys and gals out there! Also, why do you think Sean is watching Rita more than his son Ryan?**


	3. Embarrassment and surprise

**Australian Dalmatian  
an Oliver and Company fanfic, starring Dodger, Oliver, Francis, Tito, Einstein, Rita, Georgette, Jenny and many others.  
**

Chapter 3: Embarrassment and surprise

The next morning arrived, and Georgette and Ryan were getting themselves all washed up, powdered and everything to make sure they look their best. The autistic Dalmatian was kinda nervous though. As much as he looks to explore the city, he really wasn't looking forward to be a part of the dog show's lunch-in. He has tagged along on some trips to dog shows, but never was he invited to join a lunch-in or anything. But on the other paw, he was excited.

Ryan purred as Winston groomed his back with Ryan's favorite brush. It always makes him feel excited from head to toe whenever he feels his favorite brush brushing his back smoothly and gently.

"If you be a good boy today Ryan, Jenny's parents promise to give you a nice reward" Winston said happily.

This made Ryan feel even more excited. What could the Foxworths parents reward him with?! A new book? a new picture of a train? The possibilities are endless to him! He wagged his tail excitedly as Winston finished grooming him. Ryan then got his collar on, his flee collar and after giving Rita a kiss goodbye, he walked proudly out of the room with Winston holding his leash.

Georgette followed closely behind. She too had been given a lot of treatment, with her baby blue fur gleaming in the light. Unfortunately, she doesn't have an eye to eye contact with Ryan joining her. "listen to me Dalmatian" she snarled seriously, "you better not screw this up or else I will have vengeance on you! this maybe your first time joining me in a lunch-in, but you are to be polite, behave well, and act like a proper gentleman!"

"alright then sheesh, I'm not a dumb dog" Ryan said calmly. Even though he had acted like a gentleman, such as opening the door for Rita and Georgette, and giving Winston the newspaper in the morning, Georgette still isn't sure about the Dalmatian one bit.

They left the hotel in a lovely white limo and headed off the Royal Exhibition Building in the middle of the city.

"holy steaming pistons!" Ryan exclaimed when they reached the inside of the building. He could see a lot of dogs talking to each other and sitting next to their masters proudly. They all had smooth fur and pretty collars. They ranged in different breeds, from a small female Pekingese to a large Great Dane with cream colored fur who reminds Ryan about Einstein. The show dogs looked at Ryan and Georgette as they walked by.

"careful with that guy" whispered a Chihuahua.

"he's not a part of the show" said a Dachshund to another dog.

Ryan didn't know. He was too busy behaving like a regular dog rather than listening to the others. "behave well Ryan and you'll get a good reward" he said to himself with determination. Even though he knew he was gonna behave well, like most dog shows, he often tells himself to behave extra well than he normally does. But unfortunately, there was going to be trouble.

It was around lunch time when the trouble hit him. Ryan and Georgette were hanging out with the other dogs and were having a nice juicy lunch together. The autistic Dalmatian had shown a lot of respect to the other contestants and had even been respected by some of the others. So much in fact, a couple of dogs came over to talk to him.

"hold you excitement" whispered Georgette to Ryan.

"hello there... Ryan?" said a beautiful Golden Retriever.

Ryan nodded happily, "that's my name!"

"well then Mr. Ryan" continued the Golden Retriever, "you seem to come to these shows a lot. do you know any tricks?"

"tons!" said the excited Dalmatian.

A large Siberian Husky looked at Ryan with interest. "well then, do show us. show us a couple of tricks up your paw."

Ryan was delight, despite Georgette looking nervous. So he began to show off a couple of tricks to the other canines. Some of them were easy and some were sorta hard for a few tricks he never done before. He stood up on 2 legs, gave a Bulldog his paw, rolled over, stayed put, play dead. After a couple of tricks, the Golden Retriever decided Ryan should do one more trick.

"howl" she said to the Dalmatian.

"uh oh" Georgette gulped and covered her ears tightly.

Ryan gave a deep breath and howled/whistle. His howl echoed around the whole room, making everyone jump. Even some dogs had to cover their ears because of the noise and a few glass drinks broke here and there. When the Dalmatian stopped howling, the dogs began to burst out in laughter.

"oh my word" said a Yorkshire Terrier, "have you ever seen such a dog make so much noise? oh he definitely isn't a normal dog than anyone of us."

"Georgette darling, why hangout with such a noise making Dalmatian like him?" laughed a Pug as the other dogs laughed.

A male Doberman sniffed loudly, "go back to the railway you loud howler!"

Ryan was embarrassed and hurt at the same time. He looked at all the dogs laughing at him and pointing their paws at him. Soon, tears began to form in his eyes. Georgette noticed Ryan crying and looked at the other contestants laughing at him.

"that's enough!" she snapped, making everyone be quiet. "so what he howls louder than any of us? he was trained that way by his old master! even though that does wake me up during a nice long nap, but perfect isn't easy for him! he maybe different, but he has a heart of gold!"

Ryan sniffled as he watched Georgette standing up for him. It was not his fault he can howl like a train whistle, he was trained to do so and was proud of it. But being made fun of because of his howling makes him feel hurt. But worse is that he might have done a bad thing and not get rewarded. This made the poor dog more upset. He can forget about the reward for being a good dog now.

Later that day back at the hotel, Rita was lounging in the pool area by herself. She had been lounging there for almost all day and had also eaten quite a lot of food. She enjoyed it. Laying on a comfy lounge chair for almost a whole day, eating a lot of food than usual, it was like paradise to her. That is until she began to hear sniffling and moaning. She recognized that sniffling and moaning from anywhere as she looked over to the other end of the pool.

"Ry?" she said, watching a familiar Dalmatian walking at the other end of the pool. There was something wrong with the poor Dalmatian. "are you ok?!"

Ryan ran over to the Saluki and started bawling his eyes out. He let out a sad howl/whistle, nearly making Rita go deaf as it echoed around the whole pool room. Tears fell down Rita's body, soaking her beautiful fur a little. This was the first time in a while he cried. Normally he would be as cheerful as Einstein, but never had he cried for a good while. Well, except when he got stung by a bee a couple weeks ago and during a date once.

"what happened Ryan?!" Rita asked her crying boyfriend.

"I'm embarrassed Rita!" sobbed the weeping Dalmatian, "I did a bunch of tricks for a couple of show dogs, they told me to howl and I howl... then they made fun of my howling! They told me to 'go back to the railway you loud howler'!"

Rita felt very sorry for her boyfriend and was determined to cheer him up. "honey, don't listen to those freaks. they just think you're better than them. no one else could howl just like you not that I'm aware of. besides, you have the coolest talent anyone would ever want" she squealed excitedly.

Ryan sniffled sadly. Tears rolled down his face and onto Rita's body as he gazed up at her smiling sweetheart. "really?"

"as Dodger would say, absitively posilutely!" smiled the Saluki. "and if that doesn't cheer you up, then maybe there's something else that might."

Ryan looked at Rita in confusion. "what's that?" He looked down at Rita's belly and noticed something he hasn't been noticing for a very long time. Her belly was sorta fat for some reason. Had she been eating too much food or something? Not from Rita's perspective. A couple of weeks ago, Ryan and Rita had a "fun night" together inside Old #90 and for the past couple of weeks the Saluki had began to feel kinda strange. But then realization smacked the Dalmatian in the face. "... y-y-y-you're..." Ryan stuttered in surprise.

Rita began to smile happily with a tear rolling down her cheeks. "I'm pregnant Ryee-baby!" she squealed.

Ryan instantly smiled with joy as he hugged Rita tightly. Now he was crying with joy along with his beautiful Saluki sweetheart. "how did I not notice this before?!" he sniffled with joy.

"well, I didn't want to make you worry or anything" said Rita innocently, "plus you were busy at Jenny's when I got the news and I wanted it to be a surprise until the time was right. but since you've had a rough day at the lunch-in, I decided to tell you just to make you feel better. don't worry though, everyone will help you become a good father, and they will be staying with me so you don't have to stress over taking care of them."

Ryan sighed with relief. As much as he loved to have a family with Rita, he wasn't sure about taking care of children himself. To be honest, he doesn't like kids when they're screaming, running around and disobeying parents or orders. He just doesn't have the patients to do so which Rita could understand why because of his autism. His joyful face soon changed as he saw Winston and Georgette walking towards him. "well, the happiness was fun while it lasted" he muttered to himself.

But to his surprise, Winston was smiling. "you have been a good boy today" he smiled, scratching Ryan's back. "despite that little 'howl' of yours, you did a good job of behaving as always. for that the Foxworths agreed to let you attend a special event down at Spencer Street Station, and I'm sure you'll love it the moment you walk inside."

Ryan smiled the biggest smile than ever before. He looked over at Georgette, who simply winked at him. The Dalmatian knew exactly what she meant.

 **Alrighty, we're finally getting to the big event! Finally! Now it's time for some steam action! The next chapters will focus on the events that happened at Aus Steam '88 and some of the excursions that were performed during the event and a little accident that happened too.** **Please review this!**


	4. Aus Steam '88

**Australian Dalmatian  
an Oliver and Company fanfic, starring Dodger, Oliver, Francis, Tito, Einstein, Rita, Georgette, Jenny and many others.  
**

Chapter 4: Aus Steam '88

The very next morning finally arrived. Ryan and his friends, minus Georgette, were walking down the sidewalk heading towards "Spencer Street Station", with Winston and Jenny holding their leashes. Word of Rita's pregnancy had gone out and soon the whole gang were talking endlessly about it. They requested that she would stay at the hotel incase the puppies came today, but she refused to leave Ryan's side this time. Despite Ryan begging her to stay at the hotel incase that happens, she too discarded the idea of going back to the hotel. If Ryan was going to be made fun of again then she would talk to the person head-on. Plus she too wanted to have fun with her mate.

A couple minutes of walking later, Spencer Street Station came into view with thousands and thousands of people crowding the station. Either going to their trains or seeing the special event. There were even a couple of dogs roaming around with their masters too, who were holding their cameras around their necks. The gang walked towards the platform and Ryan's eyes lit up like Las Vegas at Christmas time. There, standing at the platforms, were a bunch of old steam engines. They were shiny and clean, with visitors scattering around them like bees. There were colorful steamers and not so colorful steamers, each on different gauges of track. They were happily chatting with each other as visitors gathered around them. But then, one engine caught Ryan' eye more than ever. His jaw literally hit the floor upon seeing a familiar green engine.

"IT'S FLYING SCOTSMAN!" screamed the Dalmatian with every ounce of joy he has! "Sir William McAlpine must've come down to see his engine! oh I'm literally stunned right now!"

Ryan shyly walked over to the big engine, who was smiling for the cameras. The big green engine's paint scheme glistened in the station light as thousands of people took pictures and videos of the engine. He chuckled upon seeing Ryan shyly walking up towards him.

"hahaha, don't be shy little fella!" said the big green engine, "I won't bite ya!"

Ryan began to stutter. "M-M-M-Mr. Flying Scotsman... I-I-I'm a huge fan."

Scotsman chuckled, "well an honor to meet a fellow fan of mine. I'm sure you've read a lot of books about me haven't you?"

The Dalmatian squealed and nodded happily. "yes I have! I've read your USA tour book, which is one of my personal favorite books of all time!"

"ah yes, my American tour" smiled the A3. "rather a close shave for me being saved from scrap for the 2nd, but nice to tour the US. I wish I can do it again, but I highly doubt that'll ever happen. I certainly don't want my owner be bankrupt like my old owner."

"could you tell me how you went 100 mph Mr. Scotsman sir?" asked the Dalmatian.

Scotsman was delighted.

Meanwhile, Tito and the others were looking at the other engines down the platform. Francis was looking at a rather pretty looking engine. She had 4 large driving wheels, a green boiler, a tall smokestack and a brass dome. She was arguing with a small tank engine named Puffa.

"but yeah Puffa" she said to the female tank engine, "you're lucky we weren't late getting here. If you had big wheels like mine we could've gotten here earlier than anyone else."

Puffa was taken aback. "wha-me? well it's not my fault I was design like this! I'm not use to high speed running unlike Victor and Victoria over there." She gestured to the 2 large broad gauge Hudsons nearby. "besides Megan, you were pulling me all the way here!"

"it's not my fault, I was designed to go fast unlike you little Puffa!" Megan snapped. She jumped when she felt Francis sniffing her wheel. "ugh! do you know who you're sniffing at?!"

Francis jumped back. "well uhh... no."

"I am a New South Wales Government Railway Z12" beamed Megan with pride, "I was the engine that pull the first train in Canberra in 1914! Restored by a group of volunteers and hauled several rail tours!"

"and we are impressed, aren't we fellas?" Dodger said sarcastically.

The others nodded as they kept looking around, leaving Megan snarling with Puffa. They walked over towards a 2-8-0 with big red smoke deflectors, who was looking rather cheerful than any of the others.

"check it out man" Tito said and gestured to the red smoke deflectors, "these guys here have ears."

The Hudson infront of the 2-8-0 snorted quietly. "ears?! ohhh the indignity!"

"those aren't ears Tito, those help prevent smoke from getting into the engine crews' faces" Rita corrected the small Chihuahua.

Dodger chuckled lightly. "sounds like Ryan would say. where is the excited dog anyways?"

Rita pointed down the platform where Flying Scotsman was standing. Ryan was still talking to Scotsman like old friends. They were laughing and chuckling as they talked about a lot of stuff. Even Flying Scotsman's owner, Sir William McAlpine, fed the Dalmatian a lump of bread. "he'll catch up, eventually" she giggled.

"hey lady" called a voice to Rita.

Rita jumped and looked to where the voice came from. The voice belonged to the 2-8-0 with the red smoke deflectors.

"I can't help but notice that you seem a little... fat" said the 2-8-0.

Rita blushed slightly and looked at her paws. "I'm not fat!" she said, "I'm pregnant! me and my mate Ryan down there are going to be having puppies any day now!"

The 2-8-0, known as J515, chuckled with delight. "well then congratulations! welcome to Aus Steam '88!"

"well thank you sir" Rita smiled slightly, "my name is Rita. these are my friends Einstein, Francis, Dodger and Tito."

J515 smiled even more. "haha, my name is Jerry! since you guys are kinda new here, allow me to introduce you to some of the members here. That Hudson infront of me is R707, or City of Melbourne. we just call her Victoria. She maybe a little snobbish like Megan, but she's still nice." Then Jerry gestured to a red steamer, D3 639, right behind him. She was smiling for the cameras as happy as she can be. "that red engine over there, we call her Macey. she loves all the attention, but she can't have all of it because of Flying Scotsman and the others here."

"reminds me of Georgette" Rita whispered to Dodger, who nodded quietly.

"K153 infront of Victoria" Jerry continued, "we just call him Moe. he's pretty smart, wise and gentle as a fly, but sorta a grouch sometimes. Victoria's brother, Victor, also known as R761, is another member of Victoria's class that's preserved. We also got C38 3801, also known as Lighting because she's fast since she's got streamlining. Then we got a couple of friendly diesels here and there, and I'm sure you know who Puffa is."

The canines looked at where Jerry was gesturing to. There was quite a lot of engines then they have ever seen. More like a huge group of them to be exact. Before they could say anything else, Ryan happily walked up towards them with a smile as big as Texas. He gave Rita a kiss on the cheek.

"isn't this place cool or what?!" he squealed.

"whoa whoa whoa" soothed Rita before chuckling, "what's gotten you excited?"

Ryan sighed happily. "I got a free ride with Flying Scotsman the day after tomorrow! can you believe that? he even allowed you to come with me too Rita!"

Rita wagged her tail happily. "that's great Ryee-baby" she said with joy, "I'm sure we're gonna have a great time together."

Ryan's excitement filled his entire body. A ride onboard a famous locomotive had been a dream come true. He was so excited, he let out a loud howl/whistle that echoed through the whole station. All the engines jumped in surprised, so did their crews and the visitors. Everyone looked at the Dalmatian in surprise, making him feel nervous and embarrassed again. He was expecting people laughing at him, but to his surprise the engines and their crews smiled brightly.

"wow, that was amazing!" Jerry said in amazement.

"indeed" said Macey, "I never knew a dog could howl like a train. that kid got style!"

"yeah I'll say!" Flying Scotsman beamed with pride. Then he had an idea. "here comes some inspiration!"

The other engines smiled and began to sing a song about whistles while blowing their own. They sang and sang with their hearts can bare. Ryan thought it was very catchy, but was too shy to join in on the singing. That is, until Scotsman whistled to Ryan.

"come on kid, whistle with us!"

Everyone cheered and cheered as all the engines whistled loudly and Ryan howled louder. Rita and the gang barked happily. This made the Dalmatian beam with pride. Soon after they finished singing, engine crews and visitors began to gather around him and pet him happily. Ryan happily licked their faces and was enjoying all the rubs and love he was getting.

"aww you were a great performer Ryan" Jenny said happily as she scratched the Dalmatian's head.

"hey kid, what's your dog's name?" asked Lighting's driver.

"Ryan, mister."

Lighting's driver smiled even more, "well then, how would he like to ride on the parallel run tomorrow? would you like that boy?"

Ryan barked happily.

"great! come by here tomorrow morning!"

The Dalmatian smiled as big as his own face. Later, when he and his friends were suppose to go back to the hotel for lunch, the engines said "goodbye" and "thank you" to everyone as Ryan and his friends headed back to the hotel. Just as they left, a V/Line T class diesel rolled in, making some of the steamers moan.

"oh dear lord, please not this bitch!" Victoria sighed.

"hello filthy steamies!" the diesel growled in his oily voice.

"hello Rusty" groaned most of the steamers.

Rusty was one of the several diesels that worked at Melbourne, mostly used on the branch line leading to Seymour hauling both passenger and freight trains. He had a dislike to the steam engines, especially Victor, because they were smoky, loud and annoying to him. The diesel never liked working with them and wished they would all go away and let him sleep peacefully.

"what is with all the singing here?! I'm trying to sleep!" snapped Rusty.

Flying Scotsman smiled, "oh just having a good sing-along with Ryan. boy did he sing like an angel."

"Ryan?" said Rusty confusingly, "who's Ryan?"

Victor gestured to Ryan, who was just walking out of sight. "that's Ryan. boy you should have heard him sing and howl like a train. his whistling was so loud, it would've made me deaf probably."

Rusty was surprised. "you mean that dog could howl like you steamers?!"

"oh he couldn't, he can!" Jerry wheeshed proudly.

The diesel just rolled his eyes. He wasn't entirely impressed. "so what? a smelly dog howling like you filthy steamers is a big deal to you all? huh. I am sooooo 'impressed'."

The engines were furious. They whistled loudly at the diesels as he trundled away. They didn't stop until their crew members told them to stop.

 **Flying Scotsman - LNER 4472  
Victor - R761  
Victoria - R707  
Jerry - J515  
Macey - D3 639  
Moe - K153  
Lighting - C38 3801  
Megan - NSWGR 1201  
Puffa - NSWGR 3112  
Rusty - T334**


End file.
